Last of Chilean miners raised safely to surface

Michael Warren

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Photo: Government of Chile

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In this photo released by the Government of Chile, miner Daniel Herrera Campos embraces his mother after being rescued from the collapsed San Jose gold and copper mine, near Copiapo, Chile, Wednesday. Herrera was the sixteenth of 33 miners rescued from the mine after more than two months trapped underground. less

In this photo released by the Government of Chile, miner Daniel Herrera Campos embraces his mother after being rescued from the collapsed San Jose gold and copper mine, near Copiapo, Chile, Wednesday. Herrera ... more

Photo: Government of Chile

Last of Chilean miners raised safely to surface

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SAN JOSE MINE, Chile — The last of the Chilean miners, the foreman who held them together when they were feared lost, was raised from the depths of the earth Wednesday night — a joyous ending to a 69-day ordeal that riveted the world. No one has ever been trapped so long and survived.

Luis Urzua ascended smoothly through 2,000 feet of rock, completing a 22½-hour rescue operation that unfolded with remarkable speed and flawless execution. Before a jubilant crowd of about 2,000 people, he became the 33rd miner to be rescued.

“We have done what the entire world was waiting for,” he told Chilean President Sebastian Pinera immediately after his rescue. “The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing.”

The president told him: “You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go hug your wife and your daughter.” With Urzua by his side, he led the crowd in singing the national anthem.

The rescue exceeded expectations every step of the way. Officials first said it might be four months before they could get the men out; it turned out to be 69 days and about 8 hours.

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Once the escape tunnel was finished, they estimated it would take 36 to 48 hours to get all the miners to the surface. That got faster as the operation went along, and all the men were safely above ground in 22 hours, 37 minutes.